Ato Essandoh
- 2008
- PG13
- AddNights in Rodantheto Queue
Adapted from author Nicholas Sparks' popular romance novel, director George C. Wolfe's Nights in Rodanthe tells the tale of a doctor (Richard Gere) en route to reconcile with his estranged son when his benevolent mission is sidelined upon checking into a North Carolina beach-town inn. When the doctor arrives at the inn, he enters into a passionate affair with an unhappily married woman (Diane Lane) who is currently considering divorce. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Gere, Diane Lane, (more)
- 2007
- R
Ato Essandoh and Ted Raimi star in this deep-space sci-fi adventure about a malevolent race of aliens seeking to propagate their violent ways by sparking an intergalactic war. It's been eons since the dreaded Kluduthu race succeeded in starting the war that would help their race to thrive, and now the time has come to begin the vicious cycle once again. Though Kluduthu leader Harkness (Essandoh) gets things off to a promising start by propagating rumors that the Terrans have been attacking peaceful Andromedean citizens, in order to truly set his plan into motion he will need to transform a Bloodmask into a Kluduthu. The Bloodmasks are an ancient race of chameleon-like humanoids that could hold the key to universal peace, and when Harkness locates one lone Bloodmask named Aurora on the distant planet of Cassiopeia Prime, the plans for an intergalactic massacre slowly begin to form. Though Aurora remains blissfully unaware of her unique powers, she will soon learn just how important she is to the safety of the universe thanks to a little assistance from an eccentric scientist (Raimi) who possesses valuable knowledge about the history of her race. If Aurora can somehow manage to prevent the evil Harkness from using her as the ultimate biological weapon, there may still be hope that the power of peace can overcome the horror of war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clare Stevenson, Ted Raimi, (more)
- 2006
Fay Ann Lee's modern spin on the story of Cinderella, Falling For Grace, stars Fay Ann Lee as a Chinese-American who dreams of living among the social elites in New York City. One day she is mistaken for an heiress and is invited to a posh party where she falls in love with a lawyer. She hides her true identity from him, and he himself has a few secrets he keeps from the woman. Falling For Grace had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival (where it screened under the title East Broadway). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fay Ann Lee, Gale Harold, (more)
A South African mercenary and a Mende fisherman find their fates forever intertwined as they embark on a quest to obtain a rare and highly coveted pink diamond in director Edward Zwick's frantic adventure drama. Ripped from his family farm and forced to toil away in the sweltering South African diamond fields, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) discovered an extraordinary rough stone of immeasurable value. Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a hired gun who specializes in the sale of so-called "blood diamonds" that are used to finance rebellions and terrorist organizations, and is currently serving time for smuggling. As a bloody civil war rages in Sierra Leone and Archer learns that Vandy has safely hidden the diamond in a place where no one would ever suspect, the pair enlist the aid of disillusioned American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) in recovering the treasure that has the power to save Vandy's family and provide the desperate Archer with a much-needed chance for redemption. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, (more)
An Asian-American woman and her mother both find their private lives are becoming a family matter in this romantic comedy-drama. Wilhelmina Pang (Michelle Krusiec) is a surgeon living in Manhattan whose mother (Joan Chen) is eager for her to settle down with a nice man and get married. What Ma doesn't know is that Wilhelmina happens to be a lesbian -- or rather, Ma prefers not to acknowledge it, since she once walked in on Wilhelmina and her girlfriend several years before. As it happens, Wilhelmina is looking for someone special in her life, and thinks she may have found her in Vivian (Lynn Chen), a beautiful dancer, but a fear of commitment and a desire to keep her medical career on track is making their relationship problematic. As Wilhelmina tries to get her love life in order, her mother's shifts into crisis mode. Ma, a 48-year-old widow, has just discovered she's pregnant, and her staunchly traditional father (Li Zhiyu) will not allow her back into the home they share until she's married someone respectable. Unwilling to name the father of her baby, Ma is forced to move in with Wilhelmina, and while enduring the emotional roller coaster of pregnancy she is being pressured by friends and relatives to marry Cho (Nathaniel Geng), a sweet but boring man she doesn't especially like. Saving Face was the first feature film from writer and director Alice Wu. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen, (more)
In the wake of his success on the hit NBC sitcom Scrubs, actor Zach Braff made his debut behind the camera writing, directing, and starring in this bittersweet romantic comedy. Braff plays Andrew Largeman, a young man who has just received word of his mother's passing. With this news, Andrew returns to the town in which he grew up, where he is greeted by his father, Gideon (Ian Holm), a psychiatrist. In addition to mourning the loss of his mother, Andrew is also attempting to adjust to life without the emotionally numbing antidepressants that he has recently opted to discontinue using. Gradually, with the absence of the pills, his reconnection with his past, and the introduction of Sam (Natalie Portman), a woman who would seem to have little in common with him, into his life, Andrew is able to see the potential for some positive changes. Also starring Jean Smart and Peter Sarsgaard, Garden State was once titled Large's Ark and premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, (more)
- 2003
The detectives go after the person who apparently shot down a cop in cold blood. Upon arrest, the suspect, a black teenager, claims to have committed murder out of vengeance stemming from a botched police investigation. Handling the defense is flamboyant celebrity attorney Carl Halpert (Gregory Hines), who in his media-savvy efforts to transform the trial into a racial issue, also manages to unearth a number of disturbing truths about the New York justice system. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ato Essandoh and Ted Raimi star in this deep space sci-fi adventure about a malevolent race of aliens seeking to propagate their violent ways by sparking an intergalactic war. It's been eons since the dreaded Kluduthu race succeeded in starting the war that would help their race to thrive, and now the time has come to begin the vicious cycle once again. Though Kluduthu leader Harkness (Essandoh) gets things off to a promising start by propagating rumors that the Terrans have been attacking peaceful Andromedean citizens, in order to truly set his plan into motion he will need to transform a Bloodmask into a Kluduthu. The Bloodmasks are an ancient race of chameleon-like humanoids that could hold the key to universal peace, and when Harkness locates one lone Bloodmask named Aurora on the distant planet of Cassiopeia Prime, the plans for an intergalactic massacre slowly begin to form. Though Aurora remains blissfully unaware of her unique powers, she will soon learn just how important she is to the safety of the universe thanks to a little assistance from an eccentric scientist (Raimi) who possesses valuable knowledge about the history of her race. If Aurora can somehow manage to prevent the evil Harkness from using her as the ultimate biological weapon, there may still be hope that the power of peace can overcome the horror of war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Raimi, Ato Essandoh, (more)
